Thread-handling device



Sept. 3, 1940.

c. H. WAINWRIGHT arm.

THREAD-HANDLING DEVICE Filed Nov. 26, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet l layman p 3, 1940- c. H. WAINWRIGHT ET AL ,2

THREAD-HANDLING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 6&1 f/l'fayfiayv Filed NOV. 26, 1938 P 3, 1940- c. H. WAINWRIGHT ET m. 2,213,788

THREAD-HANDLING DEVICE Filed Nov. 26, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Se t. 3, 1940. c, H. WAINWRIGHT ET AL 2,213,738

THREAD-HANDLING DEVICE Filed Nov. 26, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 v 6 ww 'lg' 15 2:5

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Tfiijfif ATT FEFEE 'I'ltlREAD-HANDLING DEVECE Carlyle Herbert Wainwright, Tom Leslie Mountain, and Frederick Edward Deans, Leicester, England. assignors to The Bentley Engineering Company Limited, Leicester, England, a British company Application November 26, 1938, Serial No. 242,608 In Great Britain December 9, 193'? 15 Claims. (Cl. 242-131) This invention is for improvements in or re-- assembly of thread-handling devices in which lating d-ha d g devices which are apeach of the members aforesaid is a support for plicable for use in connection with knitting maa thread tension device or for a thread-guiding chines, but which are also applicable for use in device or for both such devices, which support other machines in Which a number of'different has at one part a tube-like formation into which threads have to be dealt with. a part of a companion member can be introit is customary, in the knitting industry, to duced to attach the two members together. make provision for the supply to the needles of The foregoing and other details of the invena knitting machine, of one or more threads of a tion will now be described with the aid of the number of difierent threads, and accordingly the accompanying drawings which illustrate some 10 machine is equipped with handling devices for preferred forms of the invention and in whichthese threads including thread guides, thread Fi u e 1 is an elevation of one form 0f the tension devices, and holders for the bobbins coninvention providing a plura ty 0f bobbin taining supplies of the threads. p

t is an object of the present invention to pro- Figure 2 is a plan of the bobbin supports and vide an assembly of thread-handling devices in associated thread guides shown in Figure 1; eluding a number of bobbin holders, or of thread Figure 3 is a section on the line of. Fi

, tension devices, or of thread guides, or a numure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

ber of any two or all of such elements, which Figure 4- is a section on the line d t of Figassembly shall have the characteristic that any ure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

desired number of said elements can readily be Figure 5 is an elevation similar to Figure 1 assembled or the number of aid elements can of a small portion of a modification of the asbe increased or diminished with rapidity and fasembly according to the present invention showcility to suit the requirements of work to be ing a built up series of thread tensioning devices,

produced by the machine at any time. and

Other objects of the invention are to provide Figure 6 is a section on the line 6--6 of Figan assembly of thread-handling devices which ure 5, looking in the direction of the arrows. Shall be p g in appearance, convenient in Like reference numerals indicate like parts in use, and component parts of which shall be inthe several figures of the drawings. 39 expe sive to manufacture; and generally to im- In the first modification of the invention illus- 3O prove devices of such character. trated in Figures 1 to 6, the construction of A feature of the present invention is a builtthread-handling devices consists of a plurality of up assembly of thread-handling devices comprissets of these devices each comprising a bobbin ing in combination a plurality of separate memstand, a thread tensioning device and yarn bers each adapted to support at least one threadguides. All these devices are supported upon a 35 handling device, and means for attaching or for vertically disposed rod it! which is preferably enabling the attachment of each to a companion tubular and will hereinafter be referred to as member to form a series of said members. The the vertical tube. The vertical tube is supported purpose of such an arrangement is to permit the near its lower end by a bracket 5 l fixed to a con- 40 device-supporting capacity of the assembly readvenient part of the knitting machine and extends 40 ily to be varied, by the removal from said series into a second tube l2 which is also fixed to the of one or more of said members, or by the addibracket. The vertical tube id is free to rotate tion to the series of one or more similar memand to move endwise in the second tube and a bers. clamp H3 or any other preferred means is pro- An assembly of the kind defined in the precedvided to lock the vertical tube in any desired po- 45 ing paragraph may comprise a series of bobbin sition of adjustment. By this arrangement the holders, each of which is of elongated formation vertical tube and all the parts supported by it and has at one end provision for the support of can be raised or lowered and swung about the a bobbin and at the other end provision for the axis of the tube either for adjusting purposes or attachment thereto of an end of a companion to give access to some part of the machine with- 50 bobbin holder. Conveniently, the support for the out disturbing the assembly of the thread-hanbobbin on the bobbin holder is in the form of a dling devices carried by it. peg which is utilised as part of the means for at- The bobbin stands or holders are supported by taching one bobbin holder to another. a bracket i l secured to the vertical tube Ill,

5 In a modification the invention comprises an which bracket at its outer end has two arms H5 circular end a hole for the reception of a bolt i8 which in this case is extended above the plates to constitute the usual pegs or rods over which the bobbins are threaded. The lower portions of each such bolts or pegs are screwthreaded for the reception of nuts it by which the overlying ends of adjacent plates are secured together.

In the illustrated example of the invention the plates are bolted together end to end to form two lines of bobbin stands arranged in parallel rows and the two lines of plates are joined at each end by another similar plate also bolted to its companion, thus forming a parallelogram.

This parallelogram is bolted to the ends of the two arms l5 and [6 by means of a bolt or peg l8, and as the bolt holes at the end and the junction of the two arms l5 and I6 are equidistant from one another, and the distance between a pair of these holes is the same as that between the two holes in each of the plates, the parallelogram of plates can be bolted to the bracket by the same bolts which secure together parts of the said parallelogram.

Between the overlying ends of the pairs of plates secured by a bolt such as l8 are inserted washer-like distance pieces 20. Each of these distance pieces is in the form of a disc with a rounded edge and a central hole, and may be formed of cast material, for example cast iron. Each circular plate of each of the distance pieces is recessed somewhat at its central portion as shown at 2i .so asto form a flat annular bearing surface at the margin of the piece on each flat face. The overlying ends of pairs of plates and interposed washers are secured tightly together by means of the nuts l9, and similarly in positions where the overlying plates are secured to' the junction and extremities of the bracket arms l5 and i6 distance pieces will be utilised between the lowermost plate and the bracket arms, all the parts being similarly clamped between nuts l9. 7

From the foregoing description it will be appreciated that the bobbin-carrying capacity of the structure can bereadily varied by the addition of further plates to the structure or by the removal of plates therefrom. At the upper end of the vertical tube W (i. e. above. the assembly of bobbin stands) there is a supporting bracket 22 for thread tensioning devices and thread guides. In the form illustrated in Figures 1 to 6 the bracket 22 is not of the built up-kind but comprises'a single bar of angle section attached to a bracket IE3 at the top of the vertical tube.

Bolted to and extending at right-angles to the length of the bar. 22 are arms 23 the outer ends of-which terminate above the bobbin pegs l8 of the two parallel rows of bobbin stands and at the outer end of each such arm 23 there is a poteye or thread guide 24 of well known form. Yarn is led from a bobbin supported on a peg 18 through this pot-eye 24 and thence to otherpoteyes 25 and 26. Each superposed pair of pot-eyes seen from the drawings.

\ gether.

25 and 26 is secured in a plate 21 that is also bolted to the bar 22 and the bolt which secures the arm 23 and plates 2'! for each bobbin stand also constitutes the spindle for a thread tensioning device. 1

Each tensioning device is of the well known cymbal type the thread receiving discs 28 of which are mounted on the bolt 29 and are pressed together by a spring 30 which surrounds the bolt and bears at one end upon one of the discs and at the otherend upon an adjoining nut 3! on the bolt.

The arms 23 are naturally of two different lengths, the shorter arm extending over what may be termed the inner line of bobbin stands, and the longer arm over the outer line. The long and short arms are arranged in intercalated manner and each arm 23 is conveniently formed from relatively thin material which in cross-section is dished or of channel formation to give the necessary rigidity to the arms.

It is possible with the arrangement described for the yarns from two bobbins, one in a front line and the other in a rear line, to be led to the same tensioning device as shown at the left-hand end of Figure 2. Alternatively, the yarn from each bobbin may pass through its own tensioning device, there being the same number of such devices as there are bobbin pegs as will be clearly If an additional yarn is required as for example a splicing yarn, additional plates similar to ll, and indicatedin Figure 2 by the reference numeral Ill, may be employed and these extend rearwardly, that is to say, in a direction towards the plate 22.

For such an additional bobbin stand the ,poteyes 25 and 26 and their supporting plates 2'! will be somewhat modified in form and will be constructed as shown in Figure 3. In this case the supporting plate is indicated by the reference numeral l2? and the pot-eyes by the reference numerals H5 and 626 and the run of the yarn between these pot-eyes is such as to lead the yarn between tensioning devices, including discs 28, as before.

A second preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 which show the application of the invention to the formation of a built up carrier for thread tensioning devices.

These devices comprise a plurality of units and one unit is secured to a bracket similar to I23 of the previous construction, for instance by bolts i2 3 also in conformity with the manner in which the angle iron bracket 22 is secured in the previous example.

Each unit comprises an elongated plate which is bent along its length to form a horizontal portion 3 4 and a vertical portion 35. Near each end of this plate there extends from the top of the vertical portion a lug which is bent over into portions 36 and 3?, the former of which is horizontal and the latter of which extends vertically downward but which does not quite reach the horizontal portion M. In cross-section each end of the plate thus represents an incomplete rectangular tube, one of which, however, is smaller than the other in cross-section so that the tubular portion of smaller size can enter the adjacent end of a tubular portion of larger size in a companion unit next to it, thereby attaching the two units to- The vertical portion of each unit has upstanding ears 135 at the upper end of each of which there is a hole for the reception of a thread-guiding pot-eye .25 as in the previous ex-' ample; and a companion pot-eye 26 is inserted in a hole formed in the overlapping horizontal portions 3a of adjacent unit ends where one unit end has been passed over a companion end of the next unit. Fixed also in the vertical portion 35 of each unit in a manner similar to that already described are bolts 29 carrying thread tensioning discs 28, springs 30 and nuts 31 as already described.

Thus in this case it will be seen that the number of units to be employed in building up the required number of thread tensioning devices with their associated thread guides can readily be varied since the tubular formation at the ends of these units facilitates the removal of one or more units from the assembly or the addition thereto of one or more units.

We claim:

1. In or for a knitting or other machine in which a number of threads is to be handled, a built-up assembly of thread-handling devices comprising the combination of a plurality of separate similar supporting members each serving to support at least one thread-handling device, thread-handling devices on the supporting members, each disposed so as to feed one of a number of threads allocated between them, the said supporting members being arranged in a series end to end, means to attach a member of such series to a fixed stand or other fixed support and, for other members of said series, means to attach the end of each member to the adjacent end of the next member of the series and so on whereby the said other members nearer the fixed support serve to support members of the series further from the fixed support.

2. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein each of said members is of elongated formation having at one end provision for supporting a thread-handling device and at the other end provision for attachment thereto of an adjacent end of a companion member.

3. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein each of said members is of elongated formation 4 and is combined with a peg situated at one end thereof for receiving a bobbin, the said peg also forming part at least of the meansfor attaching one member to an adjacent member.

4. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein each of said members afiords a support for a bobbin holder and is of elongated formation having at one end provision for supporting said bobbin holder and at the other end provision for attachment thereto of an adjacent end of a companion member and in which each member seen in plan is of substantially dumb-bell form.

5. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein each of said members aifords a support for a bobbin holder and is of elongated formation having at one end provision for supporting said bobbin holder and at the other end provision for attachment thereto of an adjacent end of a companion member and in which each member is formed of sheet material dished in cross-section to afford requisite rigidity.

6. An assembly according to claim. 1 wherein each of said members affords a sup-port for a bobbin holder and is of elongation formation having at one end provision for supporting said bobbin holder and at the other end provision for attachment thereto of an adjacent end of a companion member and in. which each member is formed of sheet material dished in cross-section to afford requisite rigidity combined with a spacing washer interposed between superposed members, for the purpose set forth.

7. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein each of said members comprises a support for a thread-tensioning device.

8. An assembly according to claim 1 in which each member comprises a support for a threadguiding device.

9. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein each, member comprises a support for a threadtensioning device and for a thread-guiding device.

10. An assembly according to claim 1 in which each member has at one parta tube-like formation into which part of a companion member can be introduced in order to attach the two members together.

11. An assembly according to claim 1 in which each member has at one part a tube-like formation into which part of a companion member can be introduced in order to attach the two members together, and in which each member comprises a support for a thread-tensioning device.

12. An assembly according to claim 1 in which each member has at one part a tube-like formation into which part of a comp-anion member can be introduced in order to attach the two members together, and in which each member comprises a support for a thread-guiding device.

13. An assembly according to claim 1 in which each member has at one part a tube-like formation into which part of a companion member can be introduced in order to attach the two members together, and in which each member comprises a support for a thread-tensioning device and for a thread-guiding device.

14. An assembly according to claim 1 comprising thread-tensioning devices carried by said member and comprising a spindle and threadtensioning discs threaded thereon in combination with thread-guiding eyes carried in separate supports which are also secured to said members.

15. An assembly according to claim 1 comprising thread-tensioning devices in'which the latter are secured in upstanding portions of individual members of the assembly.

CARLYLE: HERBERT WAINWRIGHT. TOM LESLIE MOUNTAIN. FREDERICK EDWARD DEANS. 

